1982 (#14) - Cash's gambling debts, Katherine's help and Jerry's murder

Although The Bayou continues to be a great success, Jerry, now known by everyone as "Cash" as an abbreviation of his last name, soon begins to have serious financial problems. It turns out that Jonas' warnings to Nikki were not without foundation, as Jerry accumulated numerous debts in Las Vegas because of his gambling habit. Finding himself in a dangerous situation when creditors go looking for him and threaten him, Jerry decides to steal an expensive Nikki's fur coat, given to him by Victor, while she is at work. Realizing the theft, Nikki soon discovers that Jerry is responsible and asks him for explanations. He is thus forced to admit that he is in serious trouble and, after he returns the stolen fur, he is accompanied by Nikki herself to Katherine for financial help. Katherine, initially reluctant, eventually convinces herself thanks to pressure from Nikki, who understands that after all Jerry is just a friend looking for help. The relationship between Katherine and Jerry thus becomes more intimate to the point where Katherine finds herself attracted to Jerry not only physically but also emotionally. Katherine, who as always finds herself attracted to younger men, thus promises Jerry to solve all of her financial problems, as long as he becomes her husband. Jerry gladly accepts, and with the woman, affectionately called Kay, who will forever remain a sort of his middle name, he begins to plan the wedding and the long honeymoon in Europe. Before their dreams can come true, however, Jerry is intercepted by dangerous creditors, who are also entangled with Mafia organizations, who do not believe Jerry's promises that he will soon be able to pay off all his debts. Jerry is thus killed, leaving Katherine completely desperate, who is consoled by Nikki, aware that she has lost a great friend.

1981 (#29) - The deal with Jerry and the passion between Victor and Nikki

Determined to cheer up Victor's grey mood, fresh-divorced man, his old friend Douglas convinces the man to indulge in a cheerful evening of alcohol and women. Douglas and Victor decide to spend the evening in the most fashionable club in Genoa City, the Bayou, which now attracts many people, all of them coming to watch Nikki's shows. Even Victor is completely electrocuted by the girl, to the point of returning several times in the club and to spend more and more evenings in the company of Douglas. This is until Victor decides to act, instructing Douglas to buy the club so that he can get to know the girl. Douglas thus informs Jerry that Victor would like to see him to offer him a deal, and when Victor offers him 10 million to buy the Bayou, Jerry accepts with enthusiasm. The only condition is that the purchase remains confidential and that Jerry continues to run the club, despite the fact that Victor formally owns it, so as not to draw too much attention to himself and not to cast a bad light on his career as a manager. This is a condition that Jerry gladly accepts. Having thus become the owner of the club, Victor finally gets to know Nikki, who is immediately fascinated by the man. Victor, in order to test the girl and measure her real interest in him, decides to make Douglas act as the new owner of the club and Victor, pretending to be a simple wingman. In this he shows the woman her new dressing room. The passion between the two is unstoppable, to the point that the two make love under the disappointed eyes of Andy, who decides to end his relationship with Nikki. The woman's displeasure, however, is short-lived as Victor reveals himself to be the real owner and repeatedly invites the woman to his luxurious ranch. Nikki is incredibly fascinated by the man, his power and his wealth, and she starts dating him in exchange for money, even though she soon finds herself in love with him. An angry Andy, meanwhile, finds himself serving the beautiful Jill at the bar, also angry after the events at Jabot. It doesn't take long for the two of them to develop an interest in each other that goes beyond just a friendly chat between bartender and customer: the two of them start seeing each other, recognizing that they are much more alike than they thought.

1981 (#18) - Nikki's striptease at the Bayou and Jerry's meeting with Katherine

Meanwhile, the handsome and charming but mysterious Jerry Cashman, departing from the East Coast, arrives after a long trip finally to Genoa City. In fact, this is his destination, since he has just bought an old abandoned club at a vey good price with the intention of making of it the "Bayou", one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the city. In fact, after a short time Jerry has renovated and opened the club, business seems to be going very well. The lights and attractions of the club soon impress Nikki, who found herself single after Paul's wedding and, above all, without money; the woman, as always provocative and seductive, soon impresses Jerry, who gives her a job as a striptease dancer in the club: for Nikki it is the only chance to make some money and, above all, to get closer to that world made of money and power that has always attracted her. For Jerry, that despite not being too old, already has a lot of experience in the business world, it was easy for him to convince Nikki to dance and perform striptease shows, the girl is so naive that she was immediately dazzled by the unrealistic promises to reach the stage in Las Vegas and convinced in this adventure also by her friend Edith. In any case, Nikki's presence at the Bayou further increases the clientele and turnover for Jerry, who manages to put a fortune aside in a short time. The charm and power of the handsome Jerry soon make the tour of the city and even reach the ears of Katherine, who is convinced to know the man. He understands that the woman is looking for male companionship and, given her financial means, he proposes to be her gigolo. Katherine, caught up in the game and curiosity, accepts and soon ends up becoming a habitual consumer of paid sexual services, satisfying her sexual pleasures with Jerry and remaining faithful to what she has learned from her experience with Felipe, that she doesn't need a man around her to be happy. Katherine and Nikki soon make friends thanks to the common knowledge of Jerry and Katherine helps Nikki a lot to deal with Casey's and her friends' criticism of her work. Nikki had initially decided not to reveal her work to anyone, but when she was seen in the club she was forced to admit how she earns her living, provoking the anger of her sister Casey and Jonas who, evidently a little jealous of Jerry's success, warns her to stay away from guys like Jerry. Nikki, of course, does not follow any of the advice and continues to hang out with the man and work for him.